As an Adult, Is Speech Therapy Right For Me?

As adults, no matter what age we currently find ourselves in, we usually have an “internal voice” in our heads that tell us when something needs to change. Most of us think about and/or worry about many things in our lives. If you’re coming to this page, it seems to indicate that you’ve already been thinking and/or worrying about something related to your speech, eating and drinking, or some physical changes that you noticed that seem to affect your speech and overall well-being. So, let’s delve into some common concerns adults have.

Common Concerns:

Articulation / Speech Clarity Concerns –

A specific sound or group of sounds – Ex: a “lisp” that you’ve had since you were a kid, but never seemed to go away; Or you may have noticed that certain sounds or sound combinations are difficult for you to pronounce.

Overall clarity of your speech – For example, you may feel that people often ask you to repeat yourself. Or you might just be self-conscious about your speech.

An increased need for public speaking – Ex: your job or school requires you to present your work or give webinars, etc., and you are concerned that your speech may not be clear enough (or other similar concerns).

Noticing some stuttering or hesitations in your speech – it may be new, or something you’ve received therapy for this before, but you’d like to address it now because now it’s bothering you or affecting you at work or socially.

Physical Concerns –

Muscle Tension – in your neck, shoulders, and/or back,that does not seem to be related to any medical condition.

Breathing Concerns – You may be a mouth-breather or are frequently congested.

Frequent symptoms of reflux – even if you’ve taken medication, it has not seemed to help you.

Voice Projection – You may have noticed difficulty projecting your voice when doing public speaking, or noticed that you run out of breath when you have to do a lot of speaking.

Eating or Drinking-

Picky Eating – You may have always been a “picky eater” since you were a child, but now feel that it’s impacting your social life – ex: You’re uncomfortable going to restaurants with friends because you worry that there won’t be much you can eat, or worry that they will tease you about your pickiness.

Specific Food Avoidance – You may have noticed that you’ve avoided certain foods because you felt that they were too difficult for you to eat, and you want to know why and get help.

Coughing or Gagging during meals – You may have noticed that you cough periodically during meals, possibly on specific textures of foods or certain liquids.

Many of the above-mentioned concerns may be caused by muscle-based issues, sensory issues, as well as oral-structural issues. If you have noticed any of these concerns, or others not specified here, then it’s time to reach out to a professional who can help. That professional is a Speech-Language Pathologist, who is specifically trained in speech, oral-placement, tongue-ties, and feeding difficulties. Contact us to set up your appointment today.